Religion

Challenges for Prayer

Missionary visionwas once very strong but has steadily declined over the last 20 years. Support of national missionaries and relief and development programmes, however, has remained steady. Areas for prayer:

a)Overseas ministry.Canada once enjoyed a pride of place in sending aid and peacekeeping forces and in having a strong missionary-sending tradition. The latter of the three has decreased markedly. Pray for increased involvement by churches and individuals in the evangelization of the unreached around the world.

b)The great influx of immigrantscreates sizeable unevangelized communities in Canadas cities. Reaching the scores of unreached ethnicities can happen within a stones throw of most urban churches. Pray for a passion to reach out to these peoples whom God has placed on the doorsteps of evangelical congregations.

c)Missionary concernfrom within the many growing, ethnic-minority churches. Such a vision is vital for Canada and could be strategic for the evangelization of their lands of origin.

d)Nationwide missionary mobilizing.Pray for the unifying and strategic work of the Task Force for Global Mission of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. Pray also for Missionfest, a mobilizing conference held in several cities every year to raise awareness and stimulate missions vision.

Specialized ministries for prayer:

a)Christian media.There are a number of widely appreciated religious programmes and stations, particularly Vision TV, Crossroads and Its a New Day. US Christian programmes continue to exercise notable influence over Canadian churches as well.

b)Student ministriesin the nearly 300 colleges and universities, serving 1.1 million tertiary students. These give wide exposure to sections of the campus community. There are three movements linked withIFES(IVCF-English, GBU-French, Ambassadors for Christ-Chinese) who have groups in over 60 universities. There are also extensive ministries linked with Navigators andCCCI.YFCand OAC have good ministries in high schools. Pray that these and other ministries may make a deep and lasting impact.